Not only does it contain plant based healing properties, but it’s refreshing and delicious, and the beautiful bright orange color doesn’t hurt either! Smoothies have become part of my daily diet and I feel like 5 million percent better than my pre-smoothie life. Humans are so used to eating processed foods, even the healthier versions of them, that sometimes eating basic raw fruits & vegetables can be a daily struggle. I know that even if I slip up and eat a whole bag of potato chips or something fried or containing gluten, I feel better knowing that smoothies got my back and I don’t have to have a meltdown because I ruined my day with junk food.

Enter the Healing Tropical Turmeric Smoothie 🍌 🍑 A coconut based smoothie with healing turmeric and ginger, banana and peaches for natural sweetness, and carrots for fiber and a pop of color.

Check out my very first recipe video for this easy to make smoothie! I’m sure there are tech savvy 10 year olds out there that could create a better video than this, but it was super fun to make and I’m sure my video skills will improve from here on out. Let me know what you think!

Today’s post is a quick and easy recipe for Fruity Liquid Gold! Okay, so technically it’s not gold colored, but it’s fruity and liquid and tastes soooo gold – I mean, good. It’s got a pink, orange, gold thing going on so we’ll make it work. This beautifully colored drink is part smoothie, part juice, part tropical heaven 🍹🍹 It’s full of nutrients that will give you glowing skin and you can add whatever else you would like to it. Then fill up the kiddie pool, put on your sunglasses, and imagine you’re on a tropical island faraway.

Before we get to the recipe though, can I just give a belated shoutout to Women’s Equality Day & National Dog Day?! I think it’s no coincidence that these two great specimens are honored on the same day. Clearly, both are amazing, although I might be a little biased? 😉 Either way, August 26 is seriously making it’s way to the top of my favorite day of the year list, which includes competition such as Halloween and my birthday, so that’s saying a lot.

I think my best gal pal Josie fully embodies August 26 because, well, she’s a dog and a woman – she’s a dogwoman.

With all of the rain in central Texas these past few months, I ALMOST forgot it was summer. It hasn’t been it’s usual scorching self. And then my mom sent me some popsicle molds in my birthday package a few weeks ago and I finally got to use them this weekend – and oh yeah, it’s summer! Nothing screams summer like nice cold popsicles. But these are special popsicles. They are magical raw vegan popsicles. The coconut base is rich and creamy paired with frozen berries and fresh herbs. Toss in a little raw sugar to sweeten the deal and you’ve got homemade popsicles that are way better than anything store bought!

I just returned home to Texas after a six month stay in Beijing, where I was teaching English to little kids and cultivating my blog. Before I went, I imagined that being a vegan in China would be fairly easy. Even though China has adopted a more Westernized diet in recent years (lots of meat and dairy), I figured it would be pretty easy to find plant based dishes.

Boy was I wrong! All I ate the first two months I lived there was rice with vegetables because that’s all I could find in the way of vegan options. That got tiring after a while and didn’t give me an array of needed nutrients. Eating out was wreaking havoc on my digestive and immune systems because the quality of food is so low in China, plus they tend to over-do it with the oil. I was always sick, had headaches, couldn’t sleep well, and felt tired and light headed. I decided to stop eating out, get a blender and food processor, and make all of my meals at home. What a difference!

For anyone that plans on being abroad for an extended amount of time, here are some suggestions for quick, easy meals that are healthy and plant based.

Last week I spent a couple of quick days in Seoul, South Korea exploring the Hongdae District. That’s where Hongik University is, so this area of Seoul is very modern and artsy. Walking along the main drag of the district, I sort of felt like I was in New York City. Seoul is just a quick 2 hour plane ride from Beijing. Once I cleared customs, I took an escalator straight down to the subway and hopped on. I was welcomed by snowfall when I emerged from the subway station near my hostel, which was quite magical, then it quickly turned to rain and my shoes were soaked (which was less magical).

In general, Seoul was very clean and friendly. Most of the places I went, the locals knew at least a little English, and they were very smiley and giggly. Even though I braved the intensely cold weather, it was difficult to get around and explore as much as I had hoped to. However, I enjoyed trying new foods and searching for options that were healthy and tasty. Here’s what I came up with!

My first evening in Seoul, I found an “American salad bar & grill” called Ashley’s, which actually turned out to be an upscale buffet restaurant. There was indeed a salad bar, as well as different fruits, yogurt and granola bar, pizza, tofu sushi, apple coleslaw, make-your-own noodle soup, and a section of meat dishes. Obviously, these aren’t all vegan friendly but I was able to make do and went back to the buffet like 4 times! They also had a wine bar, your basic soda options, as well as brown rice green tea and a non-alcoholic wine tea which was interesting. There was also a self-serve espresso machine, which I loved!

The next day was unbearably cold, so I decided just to hit up a 7-11 and purchase several small food items for lunch. 7-11 is everywhere in Seoul and Beijing, and I’m assuming in many other Asian cities as well.

They had a selection of familiar drinks that I could easily get back in America, so I decided to try something new. I saw this Oriental Raisin Water and gave it a try. It didn’t taste like raisins necessarily (the picture on the bottle makes it look like it comes from a berry?), I’m not quite sure how to describe it. It wasn’t too strong of a taste, barely sweet, but overall I liked it. Maybe it tasted tea-ish?

HEY THERE! I’M JILLIAN.

I live along the border of Mexico in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and create cruelty-free recipes that are delicious! I'm here to show you that it's easy to follow a plant based lifestyle. Not only are the health and beauty benefits noticeable, but it creates a more sustainable planet and keeps our animal friends safe & happy. I also love books, music, dark chocolate, and the great outdoors. LEARN MORE…

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